I recently observed an intriguing pair of birds behind a hotel in Gougane Barra. One of them appeared to be a fledgling, yet curiously looked larger than what I presumed to be its mother. I can’t help but ponder whether this an illusion fuelled by an exaggerated display of puffing out its feathers as a plea for nourishment, or perhaps a subtle ritual between a bonded pair. It’s challenging to discern the sex of these thrushes, and the larger specimen demonstrated traditional juvenile characteristics like speckled upperparts as opposite to mature adults’ plain brown. Its parent seemed ragged from over a fortnight of attentive babysitting and its sustenance routine will only last a few additional days.
On a strange note, I noticed an odd fly, equivalent in size to a bluebottle, fluttering about in my kitchen. The peculiarity was in its semi-transparent abdomen, highly noticeable under direct light. This peculiar guest was a pellucid hoverfly (Volucella pellucens). It is ubiquitous in hedgerows and woodland clearings, feasting upon the nectar of bramble blossoms. The fly’s offspring serve a scavenger role, digesting the remains they come across in wasps’ nests. This fly is pretty recurrent, predominantly in the southern and eastern territories.
Recently, we spotted a peculiar, minuscule scarlet dot navigating the garden path. Upon a closer inspection through our mobile phone, we noticed it had eight legs -more like a spider. This reddish dot was a velvet spider mite, Trombidium holosericeum, sporting an apple-shaped body and striped legs, and no longer than 4mm. Despite its nickname as blood-suckers by schoolchildren, this arachnid poses no harm to humans. It’s a carnivore feasting on tiny invertebrates and their eggs. This mite typically surfaces from its winter slumber in the spring and is visible in various locations like stones, garden paths, and walls.
We intentionally left our garden going wild this May which resulted in an unexpected visitor, appearing scared and shy. My best guess is the little creature was a short-tailed field vole. We carefully encouraged it to return to the safety of the grass and bramble where it hastily disappeared under the moss and cover. (Frances van Velzen, Co Mayo)
It was great to see such encouraging results from No Mow May. Actually, the creature you encountered was a bank vole – the only kind of vole seen in Ireland since it first came in early 20th century. Genetic studies have discovered its close relatives in Germany, where equipment for Ardnacrusha power station was sourced in the 1920s. Presumably a couple of bank voles got entangled in the packaging and hence arrived. They’ve now extended across southern and western portions of Ireland. Their diet primarily consists of green leaves and seeds, with a small intake of invertebrates. On average, their lifespan is around 20 months, with very few making it past two winters.
This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this. Could someone tell me what it is? (Richard Neville, Co Cork)
What you’ve found is the carcass of a masked crab. The shell in these species is lengthier than its breadth and like every other crab, it has five leg pairs. Unique to the males are the first exceptionally elongated pair, evidently missing in yours. Positioned on the head’s front are long, hairy antennas that are kept together throughout. This crab species lives buried in the low shore’s sand and utilises these antennas as a long tube for drawing water to its gills.